(2009-2010) – Bios
Based on the novel of Albert Camus “The Fall”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXmIkjRAs9I&hl=el_GR&fs=1&
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UedfiglseeQ&hl=el_GR&fs=1&
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgQP1TbNoe0&hl=el_GR&fs=1&
Director – Concept – Text: Michalis Konstantatos
Actors: Konstantinos Avarikiotis, Yota Argyropoulou, Maria Panourgia
Stage – Costume Design: Margarita Chatzioannou
Music: Giorgis Sakellariou
Lights & photos: Yannis Fotou
Casting: Athens Casting
Videos: Michalis Konstantatos, Minas N. Miliaras
Period: 13 Νovember 2009- 17 January 2010 Duration: 80 minutes
A few words about the project …
The story focuses on the basic character found in the text of Albert Camus “The Fall”Jean-Baptiste Clamence. The different facets of his character are unfolded through the presence of three different actors. Each actor turns into Clamence but also performs many different people that surround him. His subconscious pulls the strings of the action and different scenes from his life succeed the ones of his own confessions.
The ‘Clamences’ today are wandering around in an airport either ready to leave or having just arrived. Jean-Baptiste Clamence looks back at his life and trumpets his brand new self and his clear conscience. This way he embodies the modern Western man whose mere admission of weaknesses and mistakes may legitimise negative actions, intentions and actions without fundamentally changing anything.
Following the process of film decoupage -which means breaking down the project into scenes that express the project through its different components such as text, internal and external rhythm, and sound- the actors embody a character who comes face to face with his own self. To achieve this, the actors did not meet with each other during the rehearsals but only a few days before the beginning of the performances. As such, the actors preserved the element of surprise. When they met at the performances they themselves came across with different aspects of the character they each embodied.
In this show the film language engages with the theater and the aesthetics of art-installation. The scenes are structured in such a way that they can also function autonomously. The fragmented images combined with the unworldly sounds of the music create an atmosphere set between illusion and reality unfolding modern relationships and situations of western societies.
Press – Critics
Reviews published for the show “The Fall”
“The Fall: A new theatrical surprise comes by the name ̈ Blind Spot ̈ and shows in Bios its first theatrical performance. Young, talented and happy they give us a modern performance leaving good impressions almost effortlessly”. Stavroula Panagiotaki, Athens Voice, vol 281, 26/11/2009.
Tonight we Do Not improvise “WHEN THE CINEMA gives the kiss of life to the theatre, anything can happen. Despite the most fashionable perpetual improvisation with the texts of most performances to emerge from the ‘squeezed’ actors and the recordings of their delusional romantic relationships and everyday life, “The Fall” is based on the homonymous masterpiece of Albert Camus and interspersed with other texts. The filmmaker, much to his honour, did not leave anything to chance. Coming from the world of film Michael Konstantatos managed a vibrant montage between the writings of Camus and his own, while the way he directed the actors resembled more of a still taken from a film rather than a theatre play. Yota Argyropoulou, Maria Panourgia and Konstantinos Avarikiotis impersonate the different aspects of the central character Clemence. They did not come into contact with each other during the rehearsals. The relationship among them was to be developed during the performances. As for the use of video, it was more than reasonable as it was ‘dressing up’ in the best way the industrial bare walls of the space. The theatre went to the movies and it came out as a winner! ”
Asteropi Lazarides, To Vima, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009
A “Fall” between theatre and cinema. The newly formed group Blind Spot makes its debut to the theatrical life with a performance – a true offering. Entitled «The Fall», it places the masterful work of Albert Camus ‘The Fall’ on the theatre stage creating a ‘total’ theatre. […] The young director orchestrating thoughts, confessions and reflections of the central hero of Camus he writes a “scenario” in which the
subconscious of Clemence is pulling the strings and he dramatises the story with action scenes interspersed with those of personal confession. Following the process of film decoupage, i.e. breaking the project into scenes which absorb all the elements of the text, the director creates and achieves a new contemporary kind of dramaturgy. ”
Elena M. Hajioannou, Ta Nea, Monday, November 2, 2009.
blindspotgroup.wordpress.com 